Correction to the plot details: Dan was a pacer, not a trotter. He was, in fact, a "free-legged" pacer, meaning he did not wear hobbles. Dan was also the first real "superstar" whose image was used extensively in advertising and truly was a "household word." Perhaps his story will some day be accorded the same sort of improved film story as Seabiscuit's.
shareThank you! As soon as I saw "trotting horse" I thought "Whoa!" (I actually did think Whoa) Pacer NOT trotter!
Ever heard the expression "kick out of the traces?" It means to "let loose" do something wild. "Traces" was the part of the harness that kept a horse from running while hitched to a wagon. Centuries old expression...I learned it when I did a rural medical internship.
This article in the NY Times discusses how breeders can look at genomes to tell if a horse is a natural pacer or trotter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/11/sports/scientists-find-gene-could-explain-horses-ability-to-pace.html?src=recg